1YO on boat

BrentJones

BrentJones

Member
Oct 4, 2006
405
Fenton/Lake Ozark, MO
Boat Info
2005 240 Sundeck
Engines
6.2L
Well, last year was relatively easy with a 2-4 month old on the boat, but May is fast approaching and our little monster is getting more mobile. He will be 1 on May 25 and we realize that this will be more challenging than last year on the boat. So to all of you that have had this time in your life come and go, what are your suggestions and advice for a fun and safe time on the water?
 

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BrentJones said:
So to all of you that have had this time in your life come and go, what are your suggestions and advice for a fun and safe time on the water?
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Find a reliable babysitter :wink:
 
All 3 of our kids were on the boat as babies and every year thereafter. I think the most important thing is to find a life jacket that is comfortable for them to wear. If I recall correctly, when the kids were in their first few years they slept quite a bit when on the boat.
 
I was on boats starting at six months. The same car seat as from the car was used to prevent "over-mobility". It turned into an accepted routine so that when I outgrew car seats, I understood that I was to stay put when the boat is on motion.
 
Tacoma290 said:
I was on boats starting at six months. The same car seat as from the car was used to prevent "over-mobility". It turned into an accepted routine so that when I outgrew car seats, I understood that I was to stay put when the boat is on motion.
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Your boat looks great! Is that similar to a later model 280DA or 300DA?
 
Never had a problem with our little guy. He was born in July of 02 and was out in August and September.

We had a 17' bowrider till this past August when we stepped up to a 24'.

As he got older, each year was more of a challenge. A big thing that helped keep him still was letting him sit with me while running. It's was a big thrill for himm to think he was running the boat.

At the end of last year, only 4 years old, he was helping with the lines, fenders, and helping turning things on and off. The first thing that we taught him was turning the blower on.

Another thing we did was have a small bag with "boat toys" that he put together. It would keep him occupied while under way if driving with Dad got boring.

And remember, plenty to drink and have shade!
 
BrentJones said:
Tacoma290 said:
I was on boats starting at six months. The same car seat as from the car was used to prevent "over-mobility". It turned into an accepted routine so that when I outgrew car seats, I understood that I was to stay put when the boat is on motion.
Click to expand...

Your boat looks great! Is that similar to a later model 280DA or 300DA?
Click to expand...

Thanks! The model number at 290 was accurate because it fits in between, but based on beam and weight, it is closer to a 300:
Yr/Model LOA Beam Weight
07 280 31'-1" 9'-5" 8,500
00 290 31'-8" 10'-2" 10,500
07 300 33'-4" 10'-5" 12,500
I got the boat this last year with 325 hours each engine, and am very happy to be member of the Sea Ray family.

Back to the topic at hand, while in the car seat, I was in a life vest. The cost of vest, even though kids outgrow fast, is small compared to what you'll spend on college!
 
We spent the night out on the boat last night. We took our 15 year old and one of her friends (they're more like 13-yr olds). Our 18 year old and her boyfriend came along for the ride, dinner, a movie, and then we dropped them off.

This morning, after I prepared the boat and my wife cooked, served, and cleaned up after breakfast, I told her that it's sssssssoooooooooooooooooooo much easier without the kids along. She's supposed to get mad at me for saying that, but she agreed. It's kind of scary.
 
Good thread ... we need to plan since we just had our first one on Ja. 1st, so we need to plan for the season ...
 
Both of our kids were on the boat at a young age. As stated, make sure he has a good lifejacket. By the pictures, it looks lie he has.

TOYS, TOYS, TOYS, TOYS :thumbsup:

Make sure He has something HE likes to play with. Keep him busy and he'll eventually grow older and just enjoy being on the boat as ours does.

Alex D said:
Good thread ... we need to plan since we just had our first one on Ja. 1st, so we need to plan for the season ...
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CONGRATS!!!!!!!!! :smt038 :thumbsup: :smt038
 
When my son (last year) was one we hooked a jumo seat to the port side captain chair seat. This allowed us to strap him in. He usualy slept the whole time. I had a 25 proline last year. I had nowhere for him to get out of the sun comfortaly and safely, so this promted me to buy our first Sea Ray. Now I think he will spend time in the aft cabin.
 
Pretty much in line with the comments above:

1. Food and drink - I found that something like a bag of Cheerios would keep my boys happy for a long time. (Easy to clean up, too.)
2. Shade - If it was too hot and/or sunny, the kids were miserable.
3. Toys - Always nice to have.

Obviously, a good PDF is mandatory. Also, my boys really liked playing in their "secret hiding place." When they were smaller, I used to put the bow cover on so they could crawl around up front. It was their own little space and they loved it!
 
This is a very relative topic for me since we just had our first in Dec. Do they make PFD's for 3-4 month old. We were thinking leaving him in the car seat would be the easiest. We are really missing the boat right about now. :smt100
 
Yes they do, we got ours from Overtons.

IMO, I would not strap any child into anything.
 
240 Sundeck said:
This is a very relative topic for me since we just had our first in Dec. Do they make PFD's for 3-4 month old. We were thinking leaving him in the car seat would be the easiest. We are really missing the boat right about now. :smt100
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Take a look at the photo on the first message of this thread. He was just 5 months then.
 
Yes, toys are good with a manageable bag they fit in and can be stowed. Our twins are 4 1/2 now and keeping them in PFD's all the time has really been worth it. We have seen boaters try to put them on and off with a struggle every time. The only time they come off is sometimes when we're on a long walk ashore. The other thing that has been nice is a consistent nap and bed time. We have bedtime at 8PM exactly. They're literally out 5 minutes later , no fussing. The routine makes it LAW..........For During the day a portable DVD player with a copy of Nemo doesn't hurt either. You'll figure it out, just be consistent.
 
One big concern I have is nap time when we are out during the day. Ideally I'd love to have a cruiser with a/c where he could go down for a quiet nap, but what do you do with an open bow? Anybody who has the 240SD, have you used the storage area under the helm? does it get too hot if they craw up in there w/o closing the door? Our Golden has claimed that as his dog house while we eat on the water. Bringing a protable DVD player is a great idea. I have a cheap Coby DVD player that I got for free signing up with Directv. If that things sinks to the bottom of the lake, it won't be a bid deal.
 
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